OPINION: Mentorship with kids teaches long-lasting life skills
By Erin Chow ‘25
Photo by Eva Vu-Stern ‘24
Working with children was never something I thought I would learn so much from since it always seemed pretty straightforward. However, as I started immersing myself in the experience of mentorship with kids, I found the opportunity truly rewarding in teaching me life skills that I would carry with me for many years.
As a young child, I was surrounded by figures who looked after me: a babysitter and camp counselors. I looked up to them as they seemed so confident in their abilities to look after me while handling so many other tasks at the same time. As I grew older and more independent, I decided that I wanted to be this inspirational figure for other kids, repaying what I had been so fortunate to receive.
The first experience I had working with kids was babysitting my cousin and his friends. This involved a week of looking after three kids who were rowdy and constantly trying to find ways to get their energy out.
At first, I felt frustrated when I attempted to calm them down, especially when they didn’t listen. I later realized that I needed to be more patient with the kids and empathize with the fact that they were just trying to enjoy a summer day.
After that week, I learned important skills from that experience: patience and empathy.
The same summer, I chose to become a counselor in training (CIT) for Camp Howard, a camp located in Corbett, Oregon where children could participate in a variety of outdoor activities from arts and crafts to archery.
I watched how counselors dealt with their campers and I would often pitch in for support. After my time as a CIT ended, I wanted to take what I had learned from being mentored by other counselors and apply it to mentoring my own set of campers.
The following summer I was allowed to be a counselor at Camp Howard, which was no easy task. I had to plan when the kids would get up, brush their teeth, and make it down to breakfast on time. In addition to this, I needed to keep an eye on them during activities and at night during free time.
This tight schedule I had to abide by showed me the importance of time management and punctuality. I never wanted to show up to breakfast late and for that to happen I needed to plan my time accordingly making sure I gave myself extra time in case any small mishaps had to be dealt with.
One of the most challenging parts of the day was bedtime. There were numerous cases of homesickness almost like a cascade effect that spread as soon as one girl came out to talk to me about missing her parents. As a previous camper myself, I was able to empathize with the campers and applied the patience I had built from babysitting to offer comfort and reassurance to help the girls fall back asleep.
Overall these mentorship opportunities I was able to experience allowed me to strengthen skills of empathy, patience, and time management that I could apply to everyday life.
Aside from these specific skills, working with kids can also have behavioral and educational benefits. Being a mentor of children can spark better self-esteem while creating a sense of accomplishment. In addition, those who look after kids have stronger academic performance and school attendance, making the experience of working with kids extremely beneficial in a spectrum of ways.
Junior Julia Chun, also has learned the importance of working with kids and the valuable lessons it can teach you. She has worked with many groups of children through running clubs (AWSEM, conducting science experiments with 4th and 5th graders and Reading to Leading going to a local school and reading to kids), volunteering at her skating rink, and working at the Catlin Gabel School (CGS) summer camps.
For instance, Chun found the experience of working with kids as a way for her to develop her characteristics such as kindness, empathy, and speaking clearly. One instance Chun highlighted was “learning how to deal with emotionally unstable kids.” She described it as “a good learning experience and can help you grow your own character.”
“Sometimes it can be taxing but I think that the good parts can make up for anything bad that could happen,” said Chun. She added that even though certain parts of her experience have been challenging she has been able to learn how to communicate more clearly and be a leader.
Some might say you can learn more about a career path through specific jobs such as senior Naveen Nallakrishnan. From working in a hotel to a restaurant near his house, Nallakrishnan has solidified his career passions through his employment. His job at the restaurant allowed him to discover the importance of hospitality and service, ultimately leading him to pursue a major in hospitality and business in college next fall.
However, working with kids can open up a different set of skills that can be applied to more aspects of daily life besides just a career-based job to deepen interests. These skills such as time management, empathy, and patience can be easily transferred anywhere.
In my personal experience, I found mentorship with kids extremely beneficial and I truly believe that it allowed me to deepen my skills of time management, patience, and empathy. I would encourage all students given the opportunity to take advantage of working with kids as the experience can pay off in the long run.